The Gift of Giving
by rosetylah
Summary: If he hated anything more than her, it was Christmas. Could she change his view on the bloody holiday he hated so much? One-shot.


**Okay guys, this is my first fic. I got bored and decided to write it. :3 I wrote it in about two hours, so I'm sorry if there is any grammar errors or if they're out of character. Bear with me. :P **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Sweeney Todd or the characters. I made no profit off of this whatsoever. I only own the very simple plot. **

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Snow was falling rapidly over the small shop on Fleet Street. The snow-fall had not ceased in over a week and the demon barber was growing infuriated. With the heavy amounts of snow, he had not had any business. The vermin thought it was not worth it to leave their warm, cozy homes to get a "shave."

He paced back and forth in front of the window. He was slowly going insane with his lack of duties to do. He stopped his pacing.

"Bloody snow-" he muttered under his breath. "Ruins everything."

Meanwhile, Mrs. Lovett was downstairs in her small little bakery. The continuous snow-fall had put her in high spirits; and to make things even more perfect, today was Christmas eve.

Oh yes. Christmas. It was no doubt her favorite holiday of the year. She loved everything about it – the cold weather, the Christmas trees, the gifts – everything.

For the past fifteen years, however; she'd not been in such high spirits when this special time rolled around. She often fount herself in a nostalgic state, her mind far back to a time when Benjamin and Lucy Barker were her tenants.

This year she was not going to be alone. She had Toby and Mr. Todd (not that he'd actually spend time with her.. even if was her last day to live.) She had two wonderful people to spend it with.. why did she feel so alone? Of course, she already knew the answer to this obvious rhetorical question.

Nellie Lovett loved Sweeney Todd with every fiber of her being. She washed his bloody shirts, disposed of all the people he mindlessly slaughtered, cooked for him, and gave him a place to live – all free of charge.

And what did she get out of doing this free labor? Maybe a grunt or so when she brought him his food that he barely ate or a single syllable word when she brought up his freshly washed work clothes, but nothing significant in return.

She walked over to the window and watched the snow drift down and stick to the pavement. She wished for just one day out of the year, she would mean something to him. She smirked at this very illogical thought. Before she got carried away with herself, she decided to bring him some dinner. She grabbed his plate and reluctantly climbed up the flight of steps.

Sweeney heard her soft, thudding footsteps outside. He inwardly groaned at the sound of them. Why did she even bother bringing food up? He never acknowledged it, let alone eat it.

Nellie knocked two quick times on the door and came in without waiting for an answer. There was no use in waiting for one – he never gave one.

"Brought you some dinner, dear." She said whilst she set the soon to be forgotten food on his dresser.

She stood there for a moment, watching him. She placed her hands on her hips and sighed.

"Do ya know what today is, Mr. T?" She might as well give it a try.

A grunt.

"It's Christmas eve."

No answer.

He stared out the window, pretending to be concentrating heavily on the building across the street. He had dreaded hearing those two words for months now. _Christmas eve. _If he hated anything more than her, it was Christmas.

"Mind you, Mrs. Lovett, but you cannot fathom how much I really do not care."

She sighed. A long, heavy, sorrow-filled sigh. She expected an answer of this category, but why did it disappoint her so much?

She turned and left him alone to his deep, brooding thoughts.

* * *

Mrs. Lovett awoke early the next morning. She reluctantly got out of bed to get ready for the day. Thirty minutes later, she emerged from her bedroom. She made a beeline for the small, little kitchen. She wasn't going to let Mr. T's hateful attitude ruin her Christmas.

Nellie tapped her nails on the counter restlessly. She sighed and mindlessly looked up at the ceiling above her. She could hear his rhythmic pacing. She walked over to one of the booths and sat down. Slowly, an idea came to her. It wouldn't make him fall in love with her, but it would at least allow him to get his mind off of bloody vengeance for awhile.

She grabbed her coat and locked the shop up. She walked for around ten minutes when she finally came to a small shop that sold pets. She smiled and walked inside. The shop keeper greeted her and she began to browse. Would he rather have a dog.. or a cat? She laughed out loud at this thought. _Neither, _her mind was screaming at her. She eventually came to a small, orange, furry kitten. It mewed at her and she smiled in response. It was obvious this was the kitten she wanted to buy. She paid for it and left the shop with a light feeling in her stomach.

Mrs. Lovett eventually made it back to the small little shop on Fleet Street. She went straight up the flight of steps and knocked on the demon barber's door thrice. She actually paused for an answer before barging in. She was answered with a grunt. She shrugged, good enough.

"Merry Christmas, love." He stared at her as if she spontaneously combusted.

"Mrs. Lovett. You know bloody damn well that I don't celebrate Christmas. I told you that yesterday evening. Are you so daft that you can't take a hint?"

She shrugged off his hateful remark. He stared at her with the most menacing look she had ever seen. If looks could kill, she would be dead.

"Mrs. Lovett, please go away."

She tried to stifle a laugh. How can he be so blind that he didn't see the kitten cradled in her arms? How thick could one possibly get?

He continued to stare at her. Until finally, he realized why she wouldn't go away.

"Mrs. Lovett, why the hell do you have a kitten?"

She smiled. "Well, I figured since it's Christmas and all that I'd..." She trailed off

"That you would what, Mrs. Lovett?"

She stared down at the floor. How stupid of an idea this was. She instantly started regretting it.

"Um...buy you a kitten?" She gave him a half-smile.

"And why would I want a kitten, Mrs. Lovett?"

"I – uh – thought you would – um- like it?"

"Bring it over here, Mrs. Lovett."

She reluctantly brought the little kitten over to Mr. Todd. He stared at it and it began to mew at him. He actually _began petting the thing. _Sweeney Todd – The Demon Barber – petting a small vulnerable kitten. She laughed at this sight. He looked over at her.

"Is something funny, Mrs. Lovett?"

She shook her head. "It's just... so foreign looking, Mr. T"

He smirked and put his attention back on the kitten. It seemed like hours passed. All three of them just sat there, doing nothing but simply spending time with each other.

Sweeney finally broke his attention away from the kitten, that he had named Anne. He looked over at Mrs. Lovett and said, "Mrs. Lovett, you know, Christmas isn't that bad after all."

Nellie grinned at him. "I knew ya would come around, Mr. T"

**FIN**

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**Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think. **


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